How do YOU adapt mantis techniques to boxing gloves?

[8stepsifu]

Do you use mantis when sparring san shou or nhb style?

don't worry be happy

[Laughing Buddha]

In my experience, you can't use boxing gloves. My personal preference are the Chuck Norris boxing bag gloves with the palm padding roll carefully removed. This allows you to do the grabbing required of Mantis techniques while still providing some protection during punching and slap blocking. Forget the Bruce Lee JKD gloves. They don't work for what we need to do in Mantis--it's too bulky. Hope this helps.



-------------------------------------
</P>

A "Laughing Buddha" or "Dai Tao Fut" is usually found cavorting in front of and leading the lion(s) in a Southern Lion Dance troupe.</P>

*** I speak for myself and not for my Si Fu nor kwoon, so any errors I make are mine alone. ***</P>>

[cha kuen]

1. Protect your centerline by punching from the center when you can.

2. Use basic blocks such as indoor and outdoor.

3. Dodge step. The first movement from Bong Bo can be used easily with gloves on.

4. Praying Mantis' rolling and leaking palm can be done with a fist.

5. Never cross your arms. If your opponent does, trap his elbow and move in.

[Magnus750]

Use the boxing punches, but generate the power in a fajing way. Use crossing jin for straight rights and overhand righs, and always get the full folding waist twist into any attacks with the rear hand. I never bothered to try and roll a lead hand backfist in the ring, since that would be an illegal jab. The true value of MAntis in reality fighting is the power generation fajing and the Iron Palm training. The elbows and hammerfists are great for hitting a standing aopponent and for G&P from the mount. The elbows use much more power than the slashing type elbows that Thai boxers use. I use both.

You should study jujitsu for fighting off the back, since that is not taught in Mantis to my knowledge. It is, however, a great style for developing fajing, and using the legs and waist to their fullest in every way, particularly the straight elbow and straight right.

Parrying an opponent's punches are best done by deflecting them off the gloves and using the elbows to block, just like any western boxer would, since it is illegal to grapple or tie up with an opponent in a pure boxing match.

The high kicks are mostly missing from mantis, although you could choose to practice them, I think that only the low roundhouse and front kick are good for stand up fighting, and stomps to the knee and to a downed opponent are the best kicks in a real fight. These things are not legal in MMA.